The transfer of Mathieu Flamini will not go ahead until Arsenal bring in a big name, big money transfer first.

Flamini is available on a free transfer after he was released by AC Milan, the club he joined from Arsenal in 2008 after making over 100 Gunners’ appearances. The Frenchman has been training with Arsenal this week however Wenger is yet to make the deal official.

Flamini’s agent met with Dick Law to finalize a contract yesterday.

Buy none, get one free

He would join Yaya Sanogo as the sole import from the summer transfer window, and the club could face a fans’ backlash should they bring in yet another free transfer squad player.

The fans see it as a step backwards rather than a lunge forwards, as opposed to a big name transfer like the ones banded around the Emirates all summer. Bids for Angel di Maria and Karim Benzema are more the kind of thing the fans want, yet the bids have so far failed to scratch the surface of a deal.

Utility man

However, as a squad player, they can do much worse than Mathieu Flamini. He seems to fit the bill as a rotation man at the Emirates, being a versatile midfielder who can operate anywhere across the middle of the pitch as well as being able to drop in at either full-back position.

“We need a player who is versatile, who can play in different positions in midfield, because at the moment we are a little bit stretched. That is what I work at – the right additions. It is not just about additions.” Described Wenger.

With Arsenal’s current injury problems and somewhat depleted squad, Flamini could provide the vital cover they need to gain depth in the team.

Yet it is still the lack of money spent that has the fans annoyed. Tensions boiled over in the first game of the season, a 3-1 defeat to Villa, however things have looked up since with a 3-0 away win in a hostile Istanbul and comfortable 3-1 victory at a rain sodden Craven Cottage.

So the signing of Flamini could be seen as a step backwards by the fans, which Wenger knows hence the transfer has been put on hold even though it can happen at any time.

A big name star will have to pack his bags for London before Flamini can make the deal official.

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